NY- State at fault in frenzy over sex offender

4-9-2009 New York:

Pittsford, N.Y. — When word got out roughly two weeks ago that Level 3 sex offender Albert Dickerson was about to move to Pittsford, an angry and frightened outcry erupted from residents of the Long Meadow neighborhood where he planned to take up residence.

Fear, on its own with no information or understanding behind it, can create hostile situations. And that’s exactly what happened when residents took to Monroe Avenue to erect signs that said things such as “We do not welcome sex offender,” “Caution ... sex offender” and “Keep our kids safe.” The public display, along with a hastily circulated petition, whipped everyone into a frenzy with no opportunity for calm discourse to examine the facts of the situation.

It’s not their fault, however. Between the state’s 11th-hour notification process and the town officials’ hasty meeting schedule, the news circulated like a game of Telephone — where you sit in a circle and whisper a sentence or two in your neighbor’s ear. He does the same, and so on around the circle. The sentence that comes out at the end is inevitably not the one that went in at the beginning.

(eAdvocate Post)

Supervisor Bill Carpenter and other officials went door-to-door to notify residents when they realized that the time was drawing near for the sex offender’s release. But it was too late; the uproar had begun.

The couple who were going to host Dickerson changed their minds after their frightened neighbors pleaded with them to reconsider. Steven Jarose and Marvin Ritzenthaler said although they were saddened that they would not be able to help Dickerson, whom Jarose had met through a prison correspondence program at his church, they put their neighbors’ fears first and retracted their offer to have him live with them.

A few residents faulted their neighbors for being closed-minded and one said the angry-mob mentality made the neighborhood seem like a “lynch zone.”

More information sooner may not have changed anyone’s mind but it could have helped ease the fear. The state Division of Parole was required to notify law enforcement of the move 10 days before it was slated to occur — and it did. The town found out about the release just six days before, when the Monroe County Sheriff’s department sent word, Carpenter said.

Ten days? That’s not enough time for communities to deal with all of the questions and concerns that surround a release such as this. Registered sex offenders often cause great alarm when, in reality, most children are abused by family members or someone they know. But that conversation couldn’t take place in Pittsford, due the time constraints. There also was no opportunity for a calm look at the facts of Dickerson’s crime — which was, indeed, brutal — and rehabilitation, which includes educating himself, helping other inmates through the Alternatives to Violence program and taking up art as a hobby.

Again, it is unlikely many minds would have been changed after a meeting or two with town officials — or had residents adequate time to call various state agencies regarding Dickerson’s restrictions. But at least, given time to examine all sides of the issues, residents could have said their opinions were truly informed ones. ..News Source.. by Brighton-Pittsford Post